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National Voter Registration Day 2025

Bexley Candidates Night

Join us for a Bexley Candidates Night on NVRD! Meet the 2025 candidates for Bexley's School Board and City Council! Hosts are BACC, LWV, and BPL. Bring your questions. In person and via live stream.

Join us for a Bexley Candidates Night on National Voter Registration Day 2025! Meet the 2025 candidates for Bexley's School Board and City Council. This event is hosted in partnership with the Bexley Area Chamber of Commerce, the League of Women Voters, and Bexley Public Library. Moderators will be State Representative Dontavius Jarrells and Rick Carfagna of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. Bring your questions.

Join us in person, or live stream this program on BPL's YouTube channel.

Moderators' Bios:

Dontavius Jarrells -- Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, State Representative Dontavius Jarrells earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Economics from Hiram College in 2010. After graduating, Dontavius embarked on a journey in public service as an Ohio Legislative Service Commission Fellow during the 129th General Assembly. His impactful contributions included drafting legislation, conducting legal and fiscal research, and actively participating in committee meetings. His commitment to effecting positive change extended to his roles at the Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities (OACBHA) and Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS), where he championed Medicaid expansion and health equity initiatives, fostering community engagement across diverse populations to address health disparities.

In 2020, Dontavius emerged victorious as the State Representative for House District 25, all while continuing his work at the Franklin County Treasurer’s Office. His inaugural term showcased remarkable bipartisan accomplishments, such as eliminating discriminatory covenants, erasing derogatory language from the legal code, and directing $150 million towards lead prevention efforts, drawing from his personal experience as a lead poison survivor.

Following redistricting, Dontavius is in his second term as Representative for House District 1, advocating for bipartisan policies like the Paystub Protection Act, ensuring employee access to pay statements, and the Foster-to-College Scholarship Act, a testament to his dedication to foster youth. His commitment extends to raising the minimum wage to $15.00 and championing the replacement of lead water lines, underlining his unyielding dedication to Ohio’s children and families.

Beyond his legislative responsibilities, Dontavius serves as the Assistant Minority Leader for the Ohio House Democratic Caucus, where he helps lead 32 Democratic members. He also holds prominent leadership roles in various state and national organizations, including being a member of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health, participating in the NCSL’s State Exchange on Employment & Disability (SEED), and serving as Chair-Emeritus of the Black Caucus of the Young Democrats of America, Vice-Chair of the Franklin County Central Committee, and Executive Committee Member for the Ohio Democratic Party.

Rick Carfagna -- Rick Carfagna serves as Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. In this position, he is responsible for leading the Chamber’s legislative team and overseeing the Chamber’s public policy agenda.

Carfagna formerly served three terms in the Ohio House of Representatives, including a role in House leadership as Assistant Majority Floor Leader, where he helped develop and implement the majority caucus’ policy agenda. He also spent time as Chair of the House Finance Subcommittee on Higher Education and as Vice-Chair of the House Public Utilities Committee.

As State Representative, he was the architect of Ohio’s $270 million Residential Broadband Expansion Program to bring high speed internet infrastructure to unserved households throughout the state. He also had measures enacted that combat human trafficking, stabilize mental health emergencies, provide customer protections to parents of children in daycare, and provide greater access to, and emphasis on, computer science offerings in K-12 education.

As former Chair of the Ohio Retirement Study Council, Carfagna provided legislative oversight over the state’s five public retirement systems and their approximately $218 billion in combined assets. Carfagna also chaired the Midwestern Higher Education Compact, a consortium of 12 member states that strengthens postsecondary education through cost-savings initiatives and policy solutions.

A native of the Columbus area, Carfagna earned his B.A. in Political Science from John Carroll University. From 2002 until 2017, Carfagna worked as Government Relations Manager for Time Warner Cable, where he oversaw legislative and regulatory issues at the local, state, and federal levels. Prior to his tenure in the Ohio House, Carfagna was twice elected to the Genoa Township Board of Trustees where he served for seven years.

Rick Carfagna and his wife, Jill, reside in Genoa Township with their daughter, Isabella.

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